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Boston officials said they were pleased with the mostly-peaceful protests which took over Boston Common and the surrounding area on Saturday.

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Of the estimated 40,000 attendees, Boston police said 33 were arrested for charges including assault and battery on police officers. Three people were found wearing ballistic vests, and one of those was armed, Police Commissioner William Evans said.

“99.9 percent of the people here were here for the right reason, and that is to fight bigotry and hate," Evans said.

Boston police also commented on the event in a post on Twitter, asking individuals to refrain from throwing urine, bottles and other harmful projectiles at officers.

The controversial rally on the Boston Common was met with overwhelming opposition Saturday morning as thousands of people surrounded the cordoned-off bandstand and another 10,000 or more marched to the area from nearby Roxbury.

Many feared the "Free Speech Rally" would actually be white nationalist rally similar to the one that erupted in violence and left a woman dead in Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend. Organizers, however, repeatedly disputed this comparison.

Several verbal confrontations were observed between counterprotesters and rally attendees as they tried to reach the bandstand. Some of the counterprotesters, who said it was their duty to support free speech, were seen helping the rally attendees through the dense crowd.

President Donald Trump commented on the protests, which occurred across the country this weekend. He said, "Our great country has been divided for decades. Sometimes you need protest in order to heal." He also said the country will heal and be stronger than ever before.

Our great country has been divided for decades. Sometimes you need protest in order to heal, & we will heal, & be stronger than ever before!

"I didn't realize how unplanned of an event it was going to be," said Samson Racioppi, a candidate for Congress who was on the list of speakers publicized by the rally organizers. "I really think it was supposed to be a good event by the organizers but it kinda fell apart."

A few dozen people had gathered on the bandstand for the controversial rally, but reporters observed them departing around 12:45 p.m. A few minutes later, police were seen taking down the flags and other items that the rally organizers had hung on the bandstand.

Police escorted the rally attendees out of the area, but some physical conflicts were observed and a phalanx of officers in riot gear emerged near Emerson College as a show of force to quell the crowd.

At the same time, the "Fight Supremacy" march began to reach the area with 10,000 or more participants who were led into downtown from Roxbury by organizers including Black Lives Matter and the Mass Community Action Network.

Boston-area leaders of Black Lives Matter said Friday that they did not accept claims from the organizers of the "Free Speech Rally."

"For many years, they have ignored the problem and ignoring the problem is not going to make it go away," said Boston-area Black Lives Matter co-organizer Monica Cannon.

"If this was really about free speech, we would have been invited from day one to speak and have a platform," said Boston-area Black Lives Matter co-organizer Angelina Camacho.

The permit for Saturday's event on Boston Common came with severe restrictions, including a ban on backpacks, sticks and anything that could be used as a weapon. Police also installed additional security cameras and barriers around the Common.

"If anything gets out of hand, we will shut it down," Mayor Marty Walsh said.

As many people began to disperse, a small number of rowdy protesters came face-to-face with armored officers near Tremont and Boylston Streets. The officers were trying to make room for police vehicles to pass through.